


Joy Is the Flag

by justheretobreakthings



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aromantic Asexual Keith (Voltron), Autistic Keith (Voltron), Coming Out, Found Family, Friendship, Gay Shiro (Voltron), Gen, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Platonic I Love You, Pre-Canon, Pride
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-04-24 11:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19171930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justheretobreakthings/pseuds/justheretobreakthings
Summary: Shiro takes Keith to his very first Pride Fest.





	Joy Is the Flag

“You doing okay there, kiddo?” Shiro asked Keith as they walked side by side through the crowd.

Keith nodded, silently, eyes not on Shiro but on the booths and decorations and people swarming around the two of them as they made their way through the crowd. Shiro felt a frown tugging at his lips as Keith’s arms tightened where they were crossed over his chest and leaned toward Shiro to avoid being knocked into by a group hurrying in the opposite direction.

Shiro had been utterly delighted when Keith had tentatively offered to come along to Pride this summer as an ally. He had invited him along the previous year, after Keith’s first school year at the Garrison, but the latter had turned the offer down. Shiro hadn’t been surprised. Keith wasn’t great at dealing with large amounts of sensory input; he tended to tense and become snappish when the cafeteria was too crowded, was known to lose his temper and devolve into shouting when the cadets ran emergency drills in the simulators, and during one particularly busy visitors’ day Shiro had sat with Keith in his silent and darkened dorm room for two hours while the latter cried his way through a sensory-overload-induced meltdown, just rubbing his back and not saying a word until Keith was back to normal and stubbornly behaved as if nothing had happened at all.

So a Pride festival, with its large crowds and loud music and bright colors and myriad decorations and fragrances from mobs of food booths and shouting and cheering and constant sound and movement - well, Shiro hadn’t really expected Keith to take him up on the offer to come along.

The fact that he had come this year meant a lot in terms of Keith getting out of his shell and facing new experiences, which, of course, gave Shiro a second thing to be proud about today. But he also stayed on his guard for Keith’s sake. The boy had a tendency to push himself beyond the point of brave and into purely hell-bent, regardless of whether it was any good for his health, mentally or physically, from staying awake for three days straight to work on a school project to attempting hoverbike stunts far beyond his skill level.

If the festival got to be too much, Keith wasn’t likely to show it, at least not in any obvious way. He would no doubt just try to grit his teeth and power through, shoving down any distress or frustration until there was no more room to shove any more and it would all explode out of him.

So he kept his eye on Keith as they strolled through the festival, pausing at craft stands to browse through the merchandise on display and peering into food booths and glancing over various non-profits’ posters and brochures. His own enjoyment at Pride was important too, sure, but Shiro couldn’t just turn off his big-brother-mode at the drop of a hat. If Keith was uncomfortable or unhappy, there was no way Shiro would be able to enjoy himself either.

Keith held up well, but about half an hour in Shiro noticed Keith starting to fade. His posture was growing more hunched, his shoulders gradually tensing, with every minute inside the noisy crowd, and he had started running his thumb over his knuckles, a subtle stim that Keith had adopted due to it being one that other people wouldn’t notice.

Shiro wasn’t other people; he noticed.

“Hey,” he called, leaning in toward Keith, not so much as to startle him but enough for him to be heard over the crowd and the speakers blasting music a few booths down. “I’m starting to get tired. Do you wanna go meet up with Adam, see if he needs any help?”

Keith’s shoulders sagged in relief as he nodded, and Shiro smiled at him before lightly taking him by the crook of his elbow and giving it a reassuring squeeze before starting to lead him through the crowd.

They made their way from the center of the festival and onto the outskirts, eventually passing through the roadblocks that signaled the edge of the fest and into the relative quiet of the streets that had been reserved for parade prep. Shiro kept his eyes peeled and his hand on Keith, trying to locate Adam. The Garrison’s Queer Student Alliance had a float in the parade, and as a student officer of the club, Adam had taken charge of the committee to build it this year. Shiro, busy with his own work and prepping for the Kerberos mission, hadn’t had the time to help out with it, and in fact didn’t even know what their float looked like.

That question was answered as he turned a corner and broke into a grin at the site of the giant foam space shuttle one block down.

He let out an impressed whistle as he approached the float, catching the attention of the handful of Garrison students standing on and around it, each of them decked out in their own pride gear. “Man, this came out nice,” Shiro said, eyes roving along the smooth surface of the shuttle and down to the float’s platform, which was bordered with an array of glittering planets painted in the color schemes of a variety of pride flags. “How long before I’m flying this thing out to Pluto?”

A door opened on the platform underneath the shuttle, and Shiro smiled at the bespectacled man who climbed out. “Shiro!” Adam said, straightening up and dropping down off the float. “What are you doing here?”

“Distracting you from your work,” Shiro answered. He stepped forward to greet him with a peck on the cheek before turning back to the float. “You did a really nice job on this.”

“You haven’t seen it in action yet,” Adam replied. “The main engine nozzle’s got a decoration of its own. You can see it in a sec, once someone gets the wiring fixed up.”

A girl Shiro recognized as a student from the year below his turned to scowl at Adam from where she was working at the tail end of the shuttle, a couple of visible grease stains on her pink, purple and blue shirt. “If everybody hadn’t been so careless while they were attaching the shuttle to the platform and moving the float out here, it wouldn’t need to be fixed at all!”

“Just finish it up before the parade starts!” The girl stuck her tongue out and adjusted her glasses before returning to work, and Adam turned back to Shiro. “So, hey, what’s with the change of plans? I thought we were going to meet after the parade. Coming in behind the scenes like this kinda ruins the magic, don’t you think?”

“I just missed you; can’t help it.” He leaned in closer, then, so that Keith, who was busy examining the planets painted on the side of the float with narrowed eyes, couldn’t hear, before continuing, “Keith was starting to get pretty tense with all the noise. Thought we’d go somewhere quiet, and this seemed like a good option.”

“Ah, okay.” Keith looked over toward the two of them, perhaps sensing that eyes were on him, and Adam grinned and waved his hand. “Hey, Keith! Enjoying the Pride fest?” Keith nodded before turning back to the float. “Least you could have done was get the kid some face paint or a pin or something,” Adam said to Shiro. “I know his all-black thing usually blends into crowds, but he’s sticking out like a sore thumb today.”

Shiro shrugged. “Eh, he’s already far enough outside his comfort zone as is. Think getting him all bright and colorful would be pushing it.”

“Mm. Fair enough. How’s that wiring looking over there, Veronica?” Adam called.

“Literally just finished, your royal highness,” the girl said, plopping down to sit on the float and wiping the back of her hand over her forehead. “And thanks, by the way, for being oh so fucking patient.”

“We’re on a time crunch,” Adam said. “Can’t help it. All right, let’s give it a test run.”

“Fine, whatever,” Veronica said, stretching her arms out before leaning back to fiddle with something under the nuzzle. “Everyone stand back, there’s like a forty percent chance this thing’s gonna blow. Kidding,” she added in response to the pointed glare Adam shot her. “God, you’re so serious. Ready?”

There was a little metallic thunk, then lights in the windows and along the sides of the shuttle switched on. A whirring began to sound in the engine nozzle, and as a bright light inside of it clicked on, lengths of multicolored fabric started to unfurl from inside and dance behind the shuttle. At a distance, the effect made it look as if the shuttle were emitting rainbow flames.

The Garrison students let out applause and a couple of whoops, Shiro joining in. Adam simply sighed in relief. “Thank God,” he said. “Can you imagine how bad it would have looked if students of the most prestigious space program on the continent couldn’t even get a parade float operating correctly?”

“I’m sure it would have been the scandal that rocked the world,” Shiro said.

“I hear your sarcasm, and I must say, I don’t appreciate it.”

“Aw, come on, Adam,” he said, slinging an arm around his shoulder and gently rubbing his arm. “It came together great, didn’t it? You worry too much.”

Adam shrugged, giving Shiro a little smile. “Every couple has their thing. Apparently ours is worrying.”

“Damn it. I was really hoping ours would be piloting.”

“It’s a close match.” He patted Shiro’s hand before slipping out of the half-hug. “All right, I’ve got a couple things to double check before the parade starts. Text me where you’re standing to watch the parade once you’re there, and I’ll join you when we finish, okay?”

“Will do,” Shiro replied, and they exchanged a quick kiss before Shiro turned back to Keith. He was still standing off to the side, silently examining the float. “Hey, kiddo,” Shiro said. “Ready to head back to the festival soon, find a good viewing spot?”

“… I don’t recognize any of these planets,” Keith said after a pause.

“Hm?” Shiro looked over at the planets painted along the side of the float, and he grinned. “Oh, no, these aren’t actual planets. They just took the color schemes and patterns of different pride flags and made them into planets. See?” He tapped a finger against a rainbow-streaked planet on the corner of the float.

Keith’s brow furrowed as he looked at the rainbow planet, and then moved his gaze along the others. “But, um, there’s - there’s a lot?”

“Outer space is a big place, you know.”

“No, no, I mean - I mean, isn’t it just, like, four? L, G, B, and T?” He strode over to turn the corner of the float and glance at the other side. “There’s enough here to cover the whole float, and they’re all different colors, so, how…?”

Shiro couldn’t help but let a little laugh escape him, which he quickly swallowed back at the scowl Keith shot him. “Sorry, I wasn’t making fun,” he said. “Sometimes I just forget that to a lot of people, this is new stuff. It’s fine. See, those tend to be the four, like, primary identities in the acronym, but it’s not actually just LGBT, it’s LGBT-plus.”

“Plus-what?” Keith asked.

“Plus anything that’s a marginalized sexuality or gender, really. Didn’t you notice any of the other flags while we were walking through the fest?”

“I dunno. Wasn’t really looking for them.”

“Well, there’s plenty out there. Like, this flag here - ” He pointed to a planet that was shaped like Saturn, pink at the top of the center sphere melting into blue, with bright green rings. “This is polysexuality, which is attraction to multiple genders, but not all. And this one - ” He gestured to a crater-laden planet striped with yellow, white, purple, and black. “This is non-binary, for when a person doesn’t identify as strictly male or female. Right here - ” He pointed to a planet shadowed to look like it was fading between stripes of black, gray, and white, leading to a large splotch of purple at the bottom. “This one is asexual, which is for when you don’t feel sexual attraction.”

Shiro turned the corner of the float and started on the next row of planets. “This is pansexual, which means - ” He paused and glanced up, realizing that Keith hadn’t followed him around to this side of the float. “Hey, Keith? You with me?” Keith, though, didn’t look up. Instead, he was staring at a spot on the side of the float as if mesmerized. Shiro sidled back over to see what had him so transfixed, and found him still staring at the asexual-themed planet. “Bud, you all right?”

“Asexual,” Keith repeated, moving his mouth slowly and deliberately as if he were trying a new food for the first time. “That’s - that’s a thing?”

“Mm-hm,” Shiro replied with a nod. “Think the pride club at the Garrison’s got a good handful of ace members - though, haven’t been all that involved in it this year what with all the Kerberos stuff, so I couldn’t give you numbers. There’s also, let’s see - ” He scanned the planets before finding the one where the grayscale ended with two stripes of green and pointing at it. “There we go, aromantic. Same concept, but with romantic attraction instead of sexual, see. Some people are both, some people are one or the other.” He looked back over at Keith, who had edged toward the aromantic planet Shiro had pointed to, that same fascination still on his face. “Why? Is something wrong, Keith?”

Keith shook his head slowly, letting a beat of silence pass before softly saying, “I didn’t know. I didn’t know it was - it was a - a thing.”

“Yeah, understandable,” Shiro said. “I guess they’re not identities that get a whole lot of attention. Same goes for quite a few of these, really. But, yeah, there you go. Keith?” He tilted his head. “Hey, something else on your mind, or…?”

Keith finally pulled his gaze away from the painted planet to turn to Shiro, and the latter’s brows shot upward in surprise at the dewy shine in Keith’s eyes. Frantically he tried to figure out what was distressing Keith badly enough to make him tear up. “Keith, you okay? Is it still too crowded here? Do you, um, do you want me to take you back to the apartment?”

Keith shook his head. He opened his mouth, let out a single choked sound, closed his mouth and swallowed, then tried again. “It’s just that - it’s just - ” He took a breath. “I thought it was just me.” His voice was soft as he finished, practically a whisper.

Shiro blinked at him before glancing back over at the float. “Wait, you mean…”

“Or, I - I thought maybe it was - that something didn’t work right, or got numbed, or - or something,” Keith continued quietly, and his thumb was moving again, that twitch along his knuckles. “Like because of - because of everything that - all the stuff with mom and - and - and the homes, and stuff, that it kinda… it messed me up…”

“Oh, gee, hey, hey, Keith,” Shiro stammered out as one of the tears in Keith’s eye began spilling over and down his cheek. Quickly he wrapped Keith into a hug, mostly as a means of comfort, partly because Keith would definitely want to keep his face hidden now that he was crying; it was enough of a struggle for Keith to even cry in front of Shiro, let alone out in public with total strangers about. “Hey, shh, it’s all right,” he mumbled, bringing a hand to Keith’s back to rub. “Just getting a little overwhelmed, huh?” Keith lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “So, you’re saying you think you might be aromantic? Asexual? Both?”

“Both,” Keith answered, voice muffled by the way his face was buried in Shiro’s chest.

Shiro kept up the hug and the soothing, but inside his mind was awhirl. Keith had just come out to him. Hell, Keith had just come out to himself, too. How had Shiro not noticed before? How had they not talked about this? He searched his memories, trying to figure out if there was something that should have tipped him off. Keith had never shown any interest in any of his classmates that way, had never come to Shiro to ask for any advice about dating or sex. But Keith was a private person, and besides, it was much harder to notice the absence of something than the presence.

Still, the fact that this sort of revelation had reduced Keith to tears the way it had suggested that this was something that had been bothering him, had been weighing on his mind. And he had been getting so much better lately about coming to Shiro to talk about things that bothered him. So it seemed a little strange that Keith hadn’t given Shiro any indication that he was struggling with his sexuality, that he felt the need to keep this to himself.

Unless…

“Keith?” Shiro said, pulling. “You know… if you do feel that those are a fit for you - if you think you’re aromantic or asexual - that’s not a bad thing. It isn’t something wrong with you.” Keith didn’t reply, so Shiro continued. “It isn’t, Keith. It’s just an orientation, like any other. Just as legitimate as being gay or straight or bi or - or anything. It’s real, and it’s okay. It’s good, Keith, it’s a good thing, to be able to learn these things about yourself, to be comfortable with them.”

He moved his hands to Keith’s shoulders and leaned down to be at eye level with him. “Are you okay with it, Keith? Do you think it’s a good fit for you?”

“I… don’t know,” Keith answered. “I guess it… makes sense… but I don’t want - I don’t know if - ” He sniffed and swiped the back of his hand over his nose. “It’s - it’s probably stupid, it’s stupid, but - but I just had hoped - you know, I’ve had, like, you know, foster parents and stuff in the past, who said - who told me I was, um, I was… unlovable…” He said the word softly, intently, as if it were a particularly filthy swear. “But I had been hoping that… that they were wrong…”

A heat flared up in Shiro’s gut, one that had gradually become familiar in the time he had known Keith. Keith had given him occasional glimpses into his life in the foster care system, and every time he mentioned one of the bad ones, Shiro would feel himself growing closer and closer to wanting to strangle anyone who had ever caused Keith any amount of harm. And if this was the sort of message one of them had been instilling in Keith, then it was no wonder that he had kept it hidden, and no wonder that he’d thought this was some sort of failing on his part.

“Keith,” Shiro said. “Look at me.” Keith did, blinking wide, damp eyes up at him, and Shiro said, firmly and deliberately, “I love you.”

Keith blinked, brow wrinkling. “What do you - ?”

“I love you,” he repeated. “So if you need hard and fast evidence that you’re not unlovable, there it is. I could not possibly have asked for a better little brother than you, and I love you for it. And you being aroace doesn’t change that, okay? Not one bit. Love doesn’t have to be romantic, or sexual, and not feeling that type of attraction doesn’t mean you’re not perfectly capable of other types of love, and being loved in return. Okay? You are loved - you deserve to be loved. Don’t you dare believe anybody who tells you otherwise.”

Keith was silent, his lower lip trembling as he squeezed his crossed arms tighter around him.

“And it’s perfectly all right if you don’t like the labels, if you don’t think they fit or if you don’t want to use them. You don’t have to. But just know - ”

“I love you too,” Keith interrupted. “And I - I like them. The labels, I mean. They’re… I have to get used to them, I guess, is the thing, but, um, they - they make sense. They fit.”

“Okay.” Shiro clapped his hand firmly on Keith’s shoulder and smiled. “Okay. That’s good, that’s good.” He paused, then asked, “Are you still feeling up for staying at the festival?” Keith nodded. “In that case, we should probably find our spots to watch the parade. It’ll be starting soon.”

“Right,” Keith said, nodding again, and he obediently followed Shiro as they turned back toward the festival.

The curbs of the streets were growing crowded as the parade’s start time approaching and people were clamoring to secure a spot where they could see it all. Shiro and Keith searched two blocks before they found enough space on a set of bleachers set up at one of the street corners where they could squeeze in together.

Shiro noticed as they took their seats that Keith had begun to stim again amid the stress of the crowd, this time knocking his knuckles rapidly against his forearms. He watched thoughtfully for a moment. Then, he tapped Keith’s shoulder and leaned in to say, “You mind saving my spot while I grab something real quick?”

“Okay,” Keith said, and Shiro gave him a reassuring squeeze before slipping out of the bleachers and making a beeline for one of the merchandise booths he had browsed earlier.

He returned a couple minutes later, slid back into his spot, and handed his new purchase to Keith. “Here.”

Keith stared down at the object in his hand. A flag, a foot long when unfurled, on a little wooden stick. It was two-sided, its stripes bearing the same colors as those of the planets Shiro had shown him on the float, the one with the purple stripe on one side, the green on the other. “What’s this for?” he asked.

“If you want it,” Shiro said. “You can keep your hands busy this way, and well, most everyone here’s got a bit of decoration, so I thought maybe you’d like some too. Or you can just pocket it for now, if you don’t want to have it out. Your pick.”

Keith continued staring at it, but he didn’t make any move to put it away either, and Shiro’s attention was drawn away from him when cheers went up through the crowd and he looked to see the first of the floats making its way down the street.

For several minutes the parade had his full attention, and he watched with rapt attention as the first couple of floats passed by, followed by a dance troupe. He managed to pull his attention away from the little procession of cars that followed them, and he couldn’t help but grin at the sight of his little brother, arm up as he waved his little flag in the air with as much fervor as all the other celebrators in the crowd, and with a small, rare smile on his face.


End file.
